by Tim Davys
Barnes & Noble link
(Note: I happened upon this book while browsing my favorite Tumblr blog, Libraryland. The moment its existence was made known to me, I had to go out and buy it. It needed to be in my life twenty minutes ago.)
Talk about unexpected surprises. Tim Davys, an anonymous figure from Sweden, threw a doozy at the literary world. Taking elements of Chandler and Hammett, adding a dash of whimsy, and added his/her/hir secret ingredient; Davys unleashed a quartet (so far, two of them are out). What is the secret ingredient, you ask? Stuffed animals. Yes. As in teddy bears, bunny rabbits, and elephants with cotton-filled tusks and trunks. Still with me? Good, because believe this: this whole concoction is a miracle and must be witnessed by all who enjoy books.
The story is all about Eric Bear, a teddy bear living in the titular district of Amberville in Mollisan Town. He is married to Emma Rabbit and has a great job as an ad-man (or bear, whatever). His happiness is short-lived when his former boss, a gangster named Nicholas Dove, forces him to do the unthinkable: find the Death List and remove Dove's name off, or lose his beloved wife. Like any good heist, Eric rounds up his former buddies: Sam Gazelle (the emotional dancer), Snake Marek (the scorned jack-of-all-trades), and Tom-Tom Crow (the goofy brawn). Many years before, they all worked under Dove at a notorious casino. Now together again, they hunt for the Death List; which contains the names of those who will be taken by the Chauffeurs to inevitable death. But things get more complicated as the hunt for the List intensifies. Loyalties are tested, stuffed animals pop pills and tip back the booze as it gets too much, houses are broken into, and secrets are uncovered.
Each of the four have histories, ones that you wouldn't consider stuffed animals to have. Having to consider the innocence of stuffed animals to also have abusive childhoods or intense stakeouts would be almost jarring. But that is what makes Amberville a treasure. It does it all straight-faced, only asking the reader the big question: "are you with me or not?" You then have no other option than to go along for the ride.
The writing is noir style, so if you read The Big Sleep or The Maltese Falcon or even seen the film adaptations, then it will all be familiar. It takes all the cliches of the genre (femme fatales, back-alley deals, crooked good guys, etc.) and gives it some extra stuffing. In this case, polyester stuffing. A minor character, Eric's twin Teddy, had quite a few good lines. Here's one:
Hindsight's common sense fills us with the knowledge of that which was, and that which is to come. But you have to be loyal to your younger self. What I did then, I could not have done better.
Amberville by Tim Davys, page 140
The switching back and forth between narratives does get weird and admittedly, a little confusing, but it manages to steady itself. There are times when it pulls away from a revealing scene, only to then tell the readers what happened long after. Seems kinda pointless and cheap to do. Despite the problems, the book remains entertaining.
Amberville is for those who want a twist to their mysteries and for those who used to have stuffed animals and always wondered if they were capable of being part of a crime ring. This book is your answer, along with three more alternates coming soon.
COPYRIGHT NOTE: all bold quotes are from the novel and were written by the author himself. Those words are not my own.
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Personal story: The book reminded me of my childhood, when I used to play with stuffed animals. My stuffed animals went on many adventures, most of them involving serious issues like adoption and interspecies love. I don't have many of them anymore, but I still have my Trio of Awesome:
If you find it weird that a young woman still has her stuffed animals and speaks of them fondly, then you need to do some growing up. Just saying.
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